I have been working on closing up the decks and getting everything ready to glass the topsides and paint. Progress seems slow but as I look over the pictures for this segment I see that a lot did get done.

Conduits have been run to panel areas in the cabin.

I installed two bilge pumps, one on each side of the keelson that separates the bilge area.

Each pump is spliced into the power feeds using butt splices and shrink tubing to waterproof the connections.

Before I can close up the deck I needed to add the 1×4 braces shown in the plans. I also sanded the paint off the top edge of the deck supports for the glue to make good contact.

Next I filled in the open spaces on the transom with 2×4 material and sealed it with caulk then painted. This will make sealing the self bailing deck to the transom much easier.

The only conduit below the deck is a 1/2” tube for the fuel tank level sensor. All others are above the deck under the gunwales.

The boat has been vacuumed and cleaned ready for the deck.

Well the bilge wiring does go below the deck because the pumps are there.

The boat is wood, so it will float. After going through the USCG calculations for positive flotation, I found that the boat has enough floatation to float the boat, motor, and fuel , but needed 6 more cu/ft of floatation foam to be able to hold up a full load of passengers. The boat can handle 8 adults.

Here I have partitioned off between two frames with foam board insulation to contain the expanding flotation foam.

This foam expands very quickly. You have 30 second to mix it, then pour and it is finished expanding in 30 to 40 seconds. So I mixed it in small batches and poured to try and keep it level. After I finished I took and hand saw and sawed off the excess.

After an hour the foam was hard enough to support my weight. This area with both the foam board and the expanding foam adds 7 cu / ft of flotation. Each cu /ft will add 61 lbs of flotation.

I took Paul’s (shipwright) advice and pre-glassed the deck panels on saw horses. This was much easier than crawling around on the floor.

Here the pre-glassed panels have been installed and a 1×6 x 12’ fir board has been installed to seal the self bailing deck.

I installed 3 deck access hatches to access the bilge.

I used thickened epoxy to seal up the seams and screw holes on the deck panels

Next I needed to install deck side panels to keep any water that may get inside the boat on the self bailing deck. To level out the frame I needed a 3/4” filler. I decided to use 3/4” foam board, it is lite and adds 2 cu/ft of floatation.

I fitted the side panels to both sides using 3/8” marine Douglas Fir plywood.

After I finished fitting the side panels, I removed them to Fiberglass them on saw horses.

The two inch conduit is for the Yamaha controls from the helm area back to the motor. I plan to add another 1” conduit for the hydraulic tubing for the steering. Both will be covered with a 8” white oak board.

When I got ready to drill my transom for the Yamaha Motor I have purchased I found that the 20” motor was actually 21.1” measured straight down from the transom notch to the floor. I had set the notch height based on 20” at the 14 degree angle of the transom. So I need to raise the notch. Here I have milled out 3 1/2” of the 2×4 structure to make room for a new 2×4 support for the transom.

I added the 2×4 all the way across the transom, using thickened epoxy to fill in the area under the 2 x 4 to the transom, then I routed out the plywood 1 1/2” wider than the new notch opening and 1 1/2” down on the 2×8 on the transom. This allowed me to install a new plywood panel that over lapped the new and the old structure.

Next I need to close in the side of the pilot house. I plan to take these panel back down for fiber-glassing. They lean into the pilot house I think that would be very hard to glass in place.

After fitting both sides and the ceiling of the pilot hose with panels I laid out the dash, cut and fitted the instruments.

I have more instruments than I can get on one side of the dash so both sides will be used.

All of the instruments were removed and re boxed and stored in the cabin area. I then removed the dash and reinstalled it with glue. The dash will be glassed and painted.

I enclosed the storage area in the cabin with left over plywood and anchored the head ( porta potty) to the deck.

I have added a frame around the cabin hatch. This will be glassed into the cabin roof.

I am taking a week off and going to visit my mother next week. When I return I plan to start sanding and getting the boat ready for glass.

3 comments so far

a great build john, im so very excited, this would be a hard thing for me to do, to get this far and then stop for a week, but if your body is as tired as i think it is, you probably need a month off….lol…so glad your going to see your mom, will you be taking her out…you remember the movie, throw mama from the train….LOL…DONT tell her i said thais…lol…beautiful job john, this has been a dream build, if i were to do one more big project, it would to be build a boat….but ive got the feeling that smaller things will come out of my shop if im lucky…..thanks for all the hard work, love the pictures…..bob

John,I’ve been anxiously awaiting the next chapter of your project and as usual it just keeps getting more interesting. I like your style of describing the build, giving credits to those who helped along the way and how you’ve dealt with the inevitable hiccups that you have dealt with. A great builder, writer and taking a week off to visit your mother, a great son. Bob